Psalm 34
“I will praise the Lord at all times;
His praise will always be on my lips.
I will boast in the Lord;
the humble will hear and be glad.
Proclaim Yahweh’s greatness with me;
let us exalt His name together.
I sought the Lord, and He answered me
and delivered me from all my fears.
Those who look to Him are radiant with joy;
their faces will never be ashamed.
This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him
and saved him from all his troubles.
The Angel of the Lord encamps
around those who fear Him, and rescues them.
Taste and see that the Lord is good.
How happy is the man who takes refuge in Him!
You who are His holy ones, fear Yahweh,
for those who fear Him lack nothing.
Young lions lack food and go hungry,
but those who seek the Lord
will not lack any good thing.
Come, children, listen to me;
I will teach you the fear of the Lord.
Who is the man who delights in life,
loving a long life to enjoy what is good?
Keep your tongue from evil
and your lips from deceitful speech.
Turn away from evil and do what is good;
seek peace and pursue it.
The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous,
and His ears are open to their cry for help.
The face of the Lord is set
against those who do what is evil,
to erase all memory of them from the earth.
The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears,
and delivers them from all their troubles.
The Lord is near the brokenhearted;
He saves those crushed in spirit.
Many adversities come to the one who is righteous,
but the Lord delivers him from them all.
He protects all his bones;
not one of them is broken.
Evil brings death to the wicked,
and those who hate the righteous will be punished.
The Lord redeems the life of His servants,
and all who take refuge in Him will not be punished.”
Psalm 40:1-3
“I waited patiently for the Lord,
and He turned to me and heard my cry for help.
He brought me up from a desolate pit,
out of the muddy clay,
and set my feet on a rock,
making my steps secure.
He put a new song in my mouth,
a hymn of praise to our God.
Many will see and fear
and put their trust in the Lord.”
For years I was crying out for help, in a desolate pit, in muddy clay. With-in the past few weeks, I feel as though God has set my feet upon a rock and made my steps secure. I cried out, He heard my cry for help, and He delivered me from my troubles.
Did He do it immediately? No, not at all. Like I said, this has been a struggle for years.
Did He do it the way I envisioned? Nope. I was envisioning waking up one day just feeling more like myself! I was hoping He would just heal and cure me.
As someone with a mental illness, I am beginning to learn some really important things.
- God can cure illness, but He doesn’t always choose to (from what I’ve seen).
- Sometimes He chooses to use doctors and counselors to bring healing and restoration. I have seen a huge shift in my bipolar and anxiety due to an amazing doctor who gave me the right medications, and a counselor who has taught me how to cope and thrive in my day to day life. Even with amazing medication, it takes a LOT of work and fight. I would not be where I am if I had just relied on medication alone.
- There is a reason and a purpose for that illness. God has used my illness in my life to reach out to others. I have been sharing about it through blogs, and now I have a small group in which I reach out every single day to those with mental illness or just plain old struggle.
- The other purpose is He has taught me that without Him, I am nothing. He is the one who led me to the doctors and counselors. He gives me power every single day to get up and get going. He teaches me through His word every day. The Holy Spirit teaches me every day.
- He heals so that He is glorified. I pray that everyone will see Him in all of this. Without Him, I would not be where I am today. Glory be to God!
If you are in a desolate pit today, and even have been for a long time, do not be dismayed. Do not give up. He has a plan and a purpose for your struggle. He knows your heart; He loves you. He wants what’s best for you. Sometimes what’s best for you doesn’t look the way we would envision it. I promise He will make the reason known one day. It may not be while you’re here on earth but He will.
You were created on purpose, for a purpose. God doesn’t make mistakes. I pray that He sets your feet on a rock soon and makes your steps secure. Trust Him.
Simply Courtney 